The invention relates to an adjustable foot brace for a lightweight, flexible skin kayak and the like which may be easily adjusted from the cockpit of the kayak.
Kayaks have become increasingly popular for use in whitewater recreational sports. Under whitewater conditions, the kayak undergoes considerable dynamic forces as it drops from high falls, impacts rocks, makes sharp turns, and other rigors involved in whitewater travel. The boater must maintain himself in a stable position with hip, thighs, and feet braced within the kayak. The kayak may be constructed of a thin flexible, yet strong, plastic skin such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,272.
In order for the boater to adequately brace himself in a stable position within the kayak so that he may retain control, the bracing must be provided so that the boater may adjust his position.
Heretofore, numerous foot braces have been proposed for kayaks. In many instances, the foot brace provided requires that the boater be able to reach to the point where the foot reaches a foot rest. For example, rails may be attached to interior sides of the kayak hull and foot rests may be removably attached to the rails by various means such as pins. This typically is the point furthest towards the bow of the boat away from the area where the boater is seated. The necessity to reach inwardly is both awkward and often virtually impossible unless the boater is reaching into kayak from an unseated position.
Attempts have been made to provide a foot brace for a kayak which can be adjusted from the cockpit such as shown in Great Britain Pat. No. GB 2,134,454. However, this foot rest requires considerable structure and attachment to the hull and occupies a good bit of the hull interior making such impractical. U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,850 discloses a foot brace having a number of stationary foot positions so that the brace need not be adjusted but that the foot may be adjusted in the brace. However, the need for providing a plurality of foot rests with only a limited variety of positions and the possibility of the boater placing his feet at unequal foot rest positions renders such a device not entirely satisfactory.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a foot brace for a whitewater kayak and the like which may be easily adjusted from the kayak cockpit yet is simple in construction.
Another object of the invention is to provide a foot brace for a kayak which may be adjusted from the cockpit area and does not require a considerable amount of space within the hull of the kayak.
Another object of the invention is to provide a foot brace for the kayak which may be adjusted easily from the cockpit area by the boater while seated in the cockpit and may be set in a variety of positions in a self-locking manner.